TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: INTERNET SOFTWARE

So, you've got a web browser and an email program... Is that all the Internet software you'll ever need? Maybe, but first take a look at some of the nifty tools that are reviewed in this issue of TOURBUS. I think you'll find something here to make your online experience even better!

I've scoured the online world to find the best Internet software in several categories, and I tried hard to find Macintosh equivalents when available. All of the Windows programs are FREE, as are most of the Mac versions, but there were a few cases where I couldn't find a freebie or equivalent for the Mac. Let's have a look...

BOOKMARK UTILITIES

QuikLink Explorer (WIN) FREE

Description: QuikLink Explorer replaces your Bookmark, Hotlist, and URL files, taking you where you want to go with the click of a button. If you use both Netscape and Internet Explorer, you'll like Quiklink Explorer's ability to convert your lists between browser formats or turn them into Web pages. QuikLink Explorer also uses an easy to learn Windows Explorer interface which makes managing your favorite sites on the web simple.

http://www.quiklinks.com

URL Manager Pro (MAC) $25.00

Description: URL Manager is a repository for your favorite Internet addresses or URLs. URL Manager allows you to organize and collect URLs in a hierarchical structure. Just drag hypertext links from your Web browser to the URL Manager window to remember a URL.

http://www.url-manager.com

SEARCH UTILITIES

Copernic 2001 (WIN) FREE

Description: Copernic 2001 is a meta-searcher on steroids. In addition to one-click access to the top search engines such as AltaVista, FAST Search and HotBot, Copernic queries over 80 of the best information sources on the Internet grouped into 7 categories including The Web, Newsgroups, Buy Books, Hardware & Software.

http://www.copernic.com

Sherlock (MAC) FREE

Description: If you have a Mac, then you've got meta search and more built in. Sherlock helps you find stuff on your hard disk or from many different sources on the Internet.

http://www.apple.com/sherlock/

NEWS TICKERS

Desktop News (WIN) FREE

Description: Desktop News keeps you up to date by delivering a continuous stream of news (stocks, updates, sports, entertainment or local news) to your desktop in a compact ticker toolbar.

http://www.desktopnews.com

BBC Newsline (MAC) FREE

Newsline can sit anywhere on your desktop and will automatically update throughout the day with the latest news, sport, travel, finance and weather. When you click on the headline, you'll be taken to the full story.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsline

ATOMIC CLOCKS

Atomic Clock Sync (WIN) FREE

This little program will automatically set your system clock to the master atomic clock at NIST once a day to keep your PC's time accurate forever. Geek fact: NIST determines the time by the breakdown of cesium atoms, which are said to be accurate to within millionths of a second per day. So there.

http://www.worldtimeserver.com/atomic-clock/

FreeTime (MAC) FREE

Here's a similar Mac program for setting your system clock.

http://download.com.com/3000-2234-896416.html

FILE TRANSFER (FTP)

WS-FTP LE(WIN) FREE

Description: A highly rated file transfer program useful for updating your web sites. Features remote file edits, and can set file permissions on remote file too.

http://www.tucows.com/preview/195136.html

Fetch (MAC) $25.00 - FREE TRIAL

Description: This is the one everybody recommends for Mac file transfer. Full featured, but alas, not a freebie.

http://www.fetchsoftworks.com

NETWORK UTILITIES

Sam Spade (WIN) FREE

Description: Sam Spade is a powerful tool for checking information on internet locations. Use ping, dig, traceroute and whois to trace any computer on the internet, or see the route to from your site to another.

http://www.tucows.com/preview/195088.html

IPNetMonitor (MAC) $40

Description: IPNetMonitor provides a set of twelve commonly used Internet tools which allow Macintosh users to monitor and debug their connections to the Internet.

http://www.sustworks.com/site/prod_ipmonitor.html

TELNET CLIENTS

NetTerm (WIN) $30 - FREE TRIAL

Telnet allows your PC to emulate another type of computer, and is especially useful for connecting to a Unix shell account. I use NetTerm to remotely login to my ISP's Unix server and start Pine to manage my email. (No Windows-based email for me, thanks.) I spend more time using NetTerm than any other software on my computer!

http://netterm.com/html/netterm.html

Better Telnet (MAC) FREE

BetterTelnet for Mac OS is, according to author Rolf Braun, "a significantly enhanced version of NCSA Telnet 2.7b5." That clears things right up, eh?

http://www.cstone.net/~rbraun/mac/telnet

INTERNET ANSWERING MACHINE

You're on-line. Friends and family are calling you but the line is busy or they leave a message that you won't check for hours. You could get a second phone line for $20-$30 a month, or you could get Pagoo.

The Pagoo Internet Voicemail Box forwards incoming voice messages to your computer screen. Instead of callers facing a busy signal when you're on-line, they reach your private Pagoo box, listen to your personalized greeting, and leave you a message. Pagoo delivers the voice message to your computer so you can hear it without getting off-line.

Pagoo is amazingly flexible... callers can reach you by phoning your local number or you can get your own toll-free 1-800 Pagoo voice mail number. You can be notified of new messages via a popup on your Windows desktop, by email, your pager or a cell phone.

If you're worried about missing important calls while online, or you have a friend whose phone is ALWAYS busy, Pagoo is Doctor Bob's prescription. You can even try Pagoo for 30 days FREE.

http://tourbus.com/cgi-bin/goto/67

That's all for now. I hope you'll take a little time to download and experiment with some of these nifty Internet add-ons. See you next time! -- Bob Rankin